Televised 2013 NFL Combine Workouts Set to Begin Saturday Morning

The annual National Football League combine officially got underway on Wednesday in Indianapolis, but the televised workouts don't begin until tomorrow morning.

Be sure to tune in to NFL Network tomorrow for on-field workouts, as all 11 position groups will be participating in timing, stations, skill drills, measurements and medical exams. This year's draft is much different than last year's as it will revolve around the lineman and linebackers rather than offensive skill positions.

Don't you want to find out this year's Leon Sandcastle (below) before the draft in April?

Lights Out: Flacco-Led Ravens Capture 2nd Super Bowl Title over San Francisco

Super Bowl XLVII was a tale of two halves. And by two halves, I mean pre-power outage and post-power outage.

This year's Super Bowl will certainly be a memorable one, and likely not because Ray Lewis went out with a second ring on his "last ride" or because Joe Flacco finally proved his worth and captured a Super Bowl MVP award.

It'll be memorable because of a 34 minute power outage that the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans experienced two minutes into the third quarter. I'd like to think that Beyonce's powerful halftime performance had something to do with the outage, although commissioner Goodell has come out and stated that she was not the cause. At the same time, though, the league still is unsure of the cause...so we'll go with Beyonce blowing out a fuse. It sounds cool.

Leading 21-6 at the half, and then coming back out of the tunnel and witnessing Jacoby Jones return the second half kickoff 108 yards for a touchdown had Baltimore fans going crazy––the stadium was at least half purple. The return was originally ruled a 109-yarder, but that was later changed to 108. Either way though, it's not only a Super Bowl record for longest return, but a postseason record.

Just minutes away from the infamous power outage at this point, Baltimore had a 28-6 lead and a jubilant crowd on their side. What could possibly go wrong? But just prior to a 3rd & 13 play from their own 40-yard line, half of the stadiums lights went out on the Niners.

Speculation rose, and the CBS analysts began thinking that the outage would benefit San Francisco the most as they'd get to slow the game down and kill Baltimore's momentum. Following the delay, quarterback Colin Kaepernick threw an incomplete pass intended for backup tight end Delanie Walker, forcing an Andy Lee punt.

But following a short-living four-play drive from the Ravens, San Francisco got the ball back and managed to drive 80 yards on seven plays and Kaepernick capped the three-minute drive with a 31-yard touchdown pass to Michael Crabtree.

The atmosphere inside the dome had changed quite a bit at this time, and the Niners defense stepped up as well, forcing a three & out from Joe Flacco. A 32-yard return for Ted Ginn Jr. off a Sam Koch punt put the ball at Baltimore's 20-yard line. Two plays later running back Frank Gore put the ball in the end zone for the Niners.

Baltimore's offense hadn't gotten anything going on its previous two drives of the quarter, and this time after catching a swing pass from Flacco, running back Ray Rice fumbled the ball deep in his own territory. San Francisco cornerback Tarell Brown both forced and recovered the ball at the BAL 24.

Despite the great field position, Baltimore's defense stepped up and forced a field goal try from 34-yards out. Splitting the uprights, the score was now 28-23 Baltimore. In just over four minutes of play, the Niners had put up 17 points with 3:14 to play in the third quarter.

Baltimore had begun to put the ball on the ground, and on the following drive ran the ball seven times to four passing plays on the 11-play scoring drive which ended with a Justin Tucker 19-yard field goal. On a 3rd & 1 play from San Francisco's 1-yard line, there was a borderline no-call in which Isaac Sopoaga hit Flacco out of bounds.

Some wanted a roughing the passer call, others wanted a late hit. But Flacco was on the run so roughing the passer could not be called since he was then considered a runner. And I thought Sopoaga's momentum took him into Flacco and that he wasn't far enough out of bounds to warrant a flag. So personally I thought it was the right no-call, because it could have made the difference in the game. In a Super Bowl, don't you want the players to make or break the game? I thought so.

So with one of many controversial calls aside, Baltimore took the three points and still held the lead early into the fourth quarter, 31-23. With the way Colin Kaepernick and the San Francisco offense had been moving the ball in the second half, however, Baltimore knew an 8-point lead wasn't safe. After a LaMichael James 28-yard kickoff return, Kaepernick got to work. A 32-yard pass to the legendary Randy Moss (though he's clearly past his prime) was the key play of the five-play scoring drive, because three plays later Kaepernick managed to run the ball in from 15 yards out for a touchdown––longest TD run for a quarterback in Super Bowl history.

Unfortunately the two-point conversion failed, so San Francisco still found themselves down two points with 10 minutes to play.

During Baltimore's ensuing 9-play drive, penalties were key for the Niners' defense and proved costly. Facing a 3rd & 9 early in the drive, San Francisco was looking to stop Flacco on a three and out but defensive back Chris Culliver was flagged for a defensive PI on wideout Torrey Smith, giving Baltimore an automatic first down and another chance to put points on the board. Baltimore continued to slowly chip away at the Niner defense, and once again the Niners were penalized on an offsides penalty on 3rd & 7. The five-yard penalty gave BAL a more doable 3rd & 2 and, even though they still failed to convert on the play, the penalty gave Tucker a more manageable 38-yard field goal.

The drive took over five minutes of game clock, but 4:19 was still plenty to work with for the San Francisco offense. Starting at their own 20, the Niners chipped away at Baltimore and drove all the way down to the BAL 5-yard line while trailing by five. Three consecutive incomplete passes, all intended for Michael Crabtree, gave the ball up on downs with under two minutes to play. The final play of that sequence was once again controversial.

It appeared as though Baltimore cornerback Jimmy Smith had held onto Crabtree with the ball in the air. Again, no flag thrown and the drive was over. Considering that, while being held, Crabtree pushed Smith to the ground I believe the officials saw that and donned the play as two guys getting tangled up. I don't believe that they had actually gotten "tangled up," but I certainly agree with the no-call. Both guys had been pushing each other, so it's tough to call defensive holding when one player is as guilty as the other. Gotta just let these guys play when we're at the biggest stage of them all.

But just out of curiosity, I can't be the only one puzzled by the play-calling, right? Kaepernick and Frank Gore's legs were at Jim Harbaugh's disposal, and he decides to go through the air on three straight plays? There was plenty of time left on the clock and the Niners still had one timeout. Why not try to pound the ball in from five yards out? Confusing.

But either way, Baltimore was stopped on a three and out and forced to punt. Backed up in their own territory and worried about Ginn Jr. returning a short punt for a touchdown, the Ravens made the decision to take a safety and free kick it back to the Niners. Smart decision. Punter Sam Koch held onto the ball for as long as possible before running into the end zone for a safety. It's now 34-31 Baltimore and the Niners have just :04 left on the clock.

Ginn's 31-yard return wasn't enough for a touchdown, clearly, and the Ravens began its celebration, winning the franchise's 2nd Super Bowl title 12 years after celebrating its first.

I find it funny that people are trying to call for a conspiracy theory when talking about the power going out. Yes, the Niners may have picked up momentum and nearly successfully mounted the best comeback in Super Bowl history. But maybe if you had actually watched football this season you'd understand that the 49ers have been a second half team all season long:

Under Kaepernick (10 starts including postseason/SB)

1st half: 121 points (12.1/game)

2nd half: 167 points (16.7/game)

Under Kaepernick (3 starts in postseason/SB)

1st half: 44 (14.6/game)

2nd half: 60 (20/game)

In Super Bowl vs. Ravens

1st half: 6

2nd half: 25

At the biggest stage, it's not often you see a team completely buckle in like the Niners did in the first half, so I knew they'd put some points on the board. Did I know they'd outscore Baltimore 25-13 in the second half? No not really. But it's a good thing they did, because this game may end up going down in the top 10 for best Super Bowls.

Joe Flacco, as I predicted prior to the game, captured the Most Valuable Player award. He put up one of the most prolific single-season postseasons in league history, finishing with a near-perfect statline:

73/126, 58 comp %, 1,140 yards (285 per game), 11 TD, 0 INT, 117.2 rating (106.2+ rating in each of his four starts)

Flacco's performance tied both Joe Montana and Kurt Warner for most touchdowns in a single postseason, and he also tied Montana for the record of most touchdowns without an interception in a complete season. Flacco and Steve Young are now tied for third-place all-time with a 117.2 rating in a single-postseason (only counts Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks).

It's fair to say that Flacco has deserved a long-time contract from Baltimore after this season. His agent has already come out and say that he deserves to be the highest-paid quarterback. I certainly don't agree with this statement, but there's no doubt he deserves a big-time contract. Either way, there's a chance that the Ravens may use the franchise tag on Flacco this season so that they have more time to hash out a deal.

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NFL Statement Regarding the Controversial End of Monday Night's Game

It's all over the news, and not just ESPN and NFL Network. The National Football League and its replacement officials have hit rock bottom after the to last night's Packers vs. Seahawks primetime game.

Trailing 12-7, Seattle's rookie quarterback Russell Wilson threw up a desperation hail mary as time expired, which appeared to be intercepted by Green Bay's safety M.D. Jennings. The back judge ran over and signaled timeout, which would mean he's signaling a GB interception and touchback. However, the side judge signaled for a touchdown.

There was no conference between officials and it was ruled a Seattle touchdown, though there was no official call coming from the referee himself. After the call, Green Bay ran off the field in disgust after seeing the replay reveal that Jennings did, in fact, have the ball cradled against his body while Seattle's Golden Tate merely had two hands barely on the football.

The play was reviewed but referee Wayne Elliot apparently didn't find that anything was indisputable and the play stood as called. It took about 10 minutes for the Packers to get 11 guys back out of the locker room and onto the field to attempt the extra point.

If you were to ask my opinion on the ending, I must say that this was the most embarrassing ending to any NFL game I have ever seen. It felt as though you were watching a high school game. And the backlashing from Packer players, and other NFL players in general, on Twitter was severe last night.

As expected, Aaron Rodgers and head coach Mike McCarthy weren't too happy during their post-game press conferences. But I must give credit to Greg Jennings and a couple of other Packer players who were very classy following the defeat and didn't blame officials for the loss. That had to have been very tough after watching that unfold from the sidelines.

Here's the official statement the League came out with today, as they stated that the Seattle win will not be overturned after investigating further (they did admit that the officials missed a PI call on Tate that would have ended the game though):

In Monday's game between the Green Bay Packers and Seattle Seahawks, Seattle faced a 4th-and-10 from the Green Bay 24 with eight seconds remaining in the game. 

Seattle quarterback Russell Wilson threw a pass into the end zone. Several players, including Seattle wide receiver Golden Tate and Green Bay safety M.D. Jennings, jumped into the air in an attempt to catch the ball. 

While the ball is in the air, Tate can be seen shoving Green Bay cornerback Sam Shields to the ground. This should have been a penalty for offensive pass interference, which would have ended the game. It was not called and is not reviewable in instant replay. 

When the players hit the ground in the end zone, the officials determined that both Tate and Jennings had possession of the ball. Under the rule for simultaneous catch, the ball belongs to Tate, the offensive player. The result of the play was a touchdown. 

Replay Official Howard Slavin stopped the game for an instant replay review. The aspects of the play that were reviewable included if the ball hit the ground and who had possession of the ball. In the end zone, a ruling of a simultaneous catch is reviewable. That is not the case in the field of play, only in the end zone. 

Referee Wayne Elliott determined that no indisputable visual evidence existed to overturn the call on the field, and as a result, the on-field ruling of touchdown stood. The NFL Officiating Department reviewed the video today and supports the decision not to overturn the on-field ruling following the instant replay review. 

The result of the game is final. 

Applicable rules to the play are as follows: 

A player (or players) jumping in the air has not legally gained possession of the ball until he satisfies the elements of a catch listed here. 

Rule 8, Section 1, Article 3 of the NFL Rule Book defines a catch: 
A forward pass is complete (by the offense) or intercepted (by the defense) if a player, who is inbounds: 

(a) secures control of the ball in his hands or arms prior to the ball touching the ground; and 

(b) touches the ground inbounds with both feet or with any part of his body other than his hands; and 

(c) maintains control of the ball long enough, after (a) and (b) have been fulfilled, to enable him to perform any act common to the game (i.e., maintaining control long enough to pitch it, pass it, advance with it, or avoid or ward off an opponent, etc.). 

When a player (or players) is going to the ground in the attempt to catch a pass, Rule 8, Section 1, Article 3, Item 1 states: 

Player Going to the Ground. If a player goes to the ground in the act of catching a pass (with or without contact by an opponent), he must maintain control of the ball throughout the process of contacting the ground, whether in the field of play or the end zone. If he loses control of the ball, and the ball touches the ground before he regains control, the pass is incomplete. If he regains control prior to the ball touching the ground, the pass is complete. 

Rule 8, Section 1, Article 3, Item 5 states: 

Simultaneous Catch. If a pass is caught simultaneously by two eligible opponents, and both players retain it, the ball belongs to the passers. It is not a simultaneous catch if a player gains control first and an opponent subsequently gains joint control. If the ball is muffed after simultaneous touching by two such players, all the players of the passing team become eligible to catch the loose ball.

So the Seattle (2-1) victory will stand and the Packers will remain 1-2. The internet, mostly social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter, have taken the replacement officials' mistakes pretty hard. Here are a couple of things I have come across so far:

 And post-game press conferences following last night's game:

Players have been all over Twitter with this one. Do you think commish Goodell will realize how bad it has gotten and do everything he can to get the real guys back out there? Personally I don't think we're even close to the end, which is really scary. You know it's bad when bandwagon and fair weather fans even realize it's getting ugly out there.

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Vilma among three Saints Players Suspended for Bounty Participation

The National Football League has announced that New Orleans Saints middle linebacker Jonathan Vilma will be suspended for the entire 2012 season for his participation in the bounty scandal. Vilma, the heart and soul of the Saints defense, was among four players total to face a suspension.

Defensive end Will Smith, four games, defensive lineman Anthony Hargrove (now with Packers), eight games, and linebacker Scott Fujita (now with Browns), three games, are the remaining players to be hit by the league with a suspension. They will have three days to appeal their respective suspensions, though I find it highly unlikely they will be able to overturn the ruling.

Following a thorough investigation, the league has discovered that Vilma was the ring leader and helped run the bounty program with then-defensive coordinator Gregg Williams.

An entire season sounds like a lot, but if you ask me I believe it was warranted. If head coach Sean Payton gets a season, then there's no doubt Vilma should be penalized for assisting Williams and leading the NO defense in the program. Not to mention providing some money in the program.

Williams has been suspended by the league indefinitely already, so disciplining the players looks to be the final step in the suspension process.

Again, I do not expect any of the four to win the appeal, and unfortunately we will miss out on watching Vilma play until 2013.

Is it possible that we can finally put this behind us and focus on preparing for the 2012 season? I sure hope so..

Photo credit: detroitnews.com

THE END IS FINALLY HERE

That's right, the agonizing, four-month-long NFL lockout has finally come to a close as of earlier this morning.

Last week the owners and league reps came up with a new bargaining deal–31 out of the 32 owners voted for it to be ratified–but just this morning the NFLPA executive board and the 32 team reps unanimously voted to approve all of the terms to the proposed CBA.

The official end to the lockout, however, was not announced until Commissioner Roger Goodell and the head of the NFLPA–DeMaurice Smith–gathered for a special joint press conference to make the announcement earlier today.

Either way, we, as fans and followers of the league and respective teams, are the most thankful that the egos of owners and players alike did not prevent us from losing the entire season due to this prolonged work stoppage. Just one game, the Hall of Fame game which was set to be played August 7 during HOF enshrinement weekend, was cancelled as a result.

With Twitter being blown up with "football is back" tweets and "who will go where" speculation, it's clear that this will be one wild week for the National Football League. Especially when you consider the fact that there have already been talks of a Brett Favre return (big surprise, huh?). This time, the Eagles are the center of attention in Favre talks? Oh, my.

Well, there you have it, a full off-season filled with labor negotiations and speculation on where free agents will land once it has been lifted.

Now, what will happen next?

At this point, anything can happen. Hang in there, it's going to be a roller coast-esque August filled with non-stop football action.

Photo credit: found on pageonebook.com

Why Players Union Should Leave NFL Hopefuls out of CBA/Lockout Situation

Despite more recent reports allegedly denying the original report that the Players' Union didn't contact the top draft hopefuls for April's 2011 NFL draft, I found it necessary to address this situation.

Less than a week ago there were several different sources saying that representatives from the NFLPA urged the top collegiate prospects, those who were expected to attend the draft and be taken in the first round, to boycott the draft and watch it at home on television.

Apparently they don't think it would be a good idea for these players to walk across the stage and shake Commissioner Roger Goodell's hand after his name is called.

I really only have one thing to say to this. I really am not taking a side in the NFL labor negotiations, I think both sides are equally to blame and that they should be able to work things out and end this lockout before the start of the season. But it isn't fair at all for these players to drag the soon-to-be-NFLers in to the situation before their name is even called.

Yes, yes, I understand that these guys are the league's future, and that they should understand exactly what is going on and side with the rest of the players. But it's incredibly selfish for the current NFL players to tell the young guys not to attend the draft. The current players obviously went through this same process several years ago and were able to attend the draft, hear his name called and walk across that stage to meet with Goodell before his picture was taken.

They got the entire draft experience, and it's an experience that these guys will never forget. It's the moment when they realize they finally made it to their destination, and reached the professional level. To take this experience away from these players--something they've worked their butts off for the last several months--would be the worst way possible to welcome these players in to the league.

If this ends up happening, which at this point it doesn't really appear as though all the players will boycott, then I will lose so much respect for the current players.

Former New England Patriot linebacker and current ESPN NFL Analyst Tedy Bruschi agreed with the other current players that they should boycott the draft, and hearing his comments on NFL Live nearly made me punch the television screen.

He says it's rookies' "duty" to skip the draft. Uh, no. I'm sorry, Tedy, but it certainly is not their duty. Their duty, ever since the college football season ended, is to prepare themselves for the draft with workouts, meetings and interviews, not to mention the Senior Bowl practice, game and NFL Combine back in February.

Not that I have much authority or say in this at all (I would love it if I did, though), but my message to rookies: ATTEND THE DRAFT IF YOU GET AN INVITE!

Photo credit

Patrick Peterson: Joe Robbins/Getty Images

Cam Newton: Joe Robbins/Getty Images

NFL playoff system "broken" but can't be fixed

The NFC West division has been a weak link for years when it comes to the National Football League's playoff seeding procedure, but it hit a new low this season.

After defeating a hapless St. Louis Rams offense last night, led by rookie quarterback Sam Bradford, the Seattle Seahawks became the first team to win a division with a sub-.500 record (7-9). Recently several NFL employees have brought to attention the weak spot in the procedure for figuring out each conference's playoff seeds.

Because of the format (No. 1 thru No. 4 division winners, No. 5 and No. 6 the two Wild Card teams), the Seahawks get to host the 11-5 New Orleans Saints, since they are in a stronger division and didn't win the NFC South. Depending on how the sixth seeded Green Bay Packers do in the first two rounds of the playoffs, Seattle has a slight chance at hosting not just the first week, but the conference championship game as well if they make it that far.

Another thing that was brought to my attention is the fact that two 10-6 NFC teams (New York and Tampa Bay) are both sitting at home watching the playoffs while the Seahawks are not. Funny thing is that both the Giants and Bucs crushed Seattle earlier this season--New York won 41-7 during week nine and Tampa won 38-15 just last week. In the history of the league this is the first year that two 10-6 teams in the same conference missed the postseason.

It's clear that Seattle, who didn't even get to start Matt Hasselbeck in last night's game yet still managed to pull out a victory, doesn't deserve a playoff spot after finishing with a point differential of -97 and going 2-6 on the road.

But lets not get ahead of ourselves. This isn't a fixable system like the NCAA's.

Employees have brought up the idea of changing the format to just picking the top six teams in each conference (record-wise). But what exactly does that fix? I mean yes it does allow the top six teams to make it in to the postseason, but it also completely takes away the whole point of having divisions.

If this change happens sometime in the near future, I am not going to be a happy camper. There would be no reason to have division match-ups and it would take away from the rivalries which have been created through having four divisions in each conference.

If they want to fix the system, you might as well fix the entire format of the league. And that just seems like far too much trouble to go through.

I hope you hear me, Roger Goodell. Do not fix the playoff system. That may temporarily fix the problem, but it will only lead to new problems.

Photo credit: AP Photo/John Froschauer

Commissioner Goodell Only Fine Johnson, Finnegan $25,000 apiece

Big news yesterday was not the backlash of the streaking San Diego Chargers' whipping of Peyton Manning's Colts the night before, but rather the decision Roger Goodell made to only fine Houston Texans' wide receiver Andre Johnson and Tennessee Titans' defensive back Cortland Finnegan. To make matters worse, the fine was just $25,000 each.

As you all have likely heard by now, after pushing and shoving each other throughout the Tennessee/Houston game on Sunday afternoon, Johnson finally lashed out and threw--and connected on--multiple punches on Finnegan. Both helmets were ripped off each other as they tussled in the middle of the play in the second half of the game. They didn't even have the audacity to wait until the two teams had finished running the play. Finnegan, much smaller than the 6'3''/230-pound Johnson, didn't have a chance and wasn't even able to get a punch out before both benches had cleared and the two were broken up.

You can watch the fight here.

The two players never did have a liking for each other. In fact, this is now the second season in a row that Johnson has been fined for actions against his counterpart, Finnegan. Last September Johnson--usually a very quite and humble player who keeps to himself--was fined $7,500 by the league for a brush up he had with Cortland, during which both teams' benches were cleared as well.

It's hard to blame Johnson, really, considering Finnegan has gained an aggressive, almost dirty reputation from his fellow players over the last several years. It appeared as though Finnegan had done a bit of instigating, pushing Johnson to his limit and, eventually, over the top. Johnson snapped, and he will have to pay the consequences.

Fans and plenty of other people in the NFL society have shown their frustration with this mere 'slap-on-the-wrist' type punishment. Defensive players are being fined $50,000-$75,000 for helmet-to-helmet contact, yet Johnson can land multiple punches on a helmet-less player without a suspension, and just a $25,000 fine. It just doesn't seem right, and I agree 100% with any of Johnson's fellow NFLers who happen to speak out about this.

It seems to me as though Goodell is supporting, or at least not acting out against, this whole WWE-style persona. I don't like it and I think Johnson should face a minimum three-game suspension. Players have, rightly so, been getting hit with 4-6 game suspensions (sometimes even lengthier) for off-the-field issues, yet Johnson (and Finnegan, he's not completely innocent in this incident despite not throwing any punches) can beat on a defender and not face any major punishment.

It's not just this one incident that I have questioned, either. As I wrote about last week, Richard Seymour was ejected from last week's game, just like Johnson and Finnegan were two days ago, for sucker-punching Ben Roethlisberger after he threw a touchdown pass. But Seymour was also just hit with a $25,000 docking of his paycheck.

That's not the only thing that shocked me. It's one thing to just fine them with no suspension, but to give both Johnson and Finnegan the same dollar amount in fines is just ridiculous, in my opinion. Yes, Johnson was victorious in the fight, but that should mean he gets a larger sum of money docked, because of the fact that he was the one throwing the punches. Seymour had one punch, Johnson? Two or three solid, at least.

What I would have done? Fine Finnegan $25,000 with a one-game suspension and hit Johnson with a $50,000 fine and three-game suspension. But maybe that's just me.

Photo Credit
Andre Johnson: AP Photo/Dave Einsel

Suspension for Big Ben?

It is still uncertain whether or not the Pittsburgh Steeler quarterback will be suspended to start the 2010 regular season, though all signs seem to be pointing in that direction.

The NFL has stated that the announcement is likely to be made after the draft at the earliest, and even the Rooney's seem to think a suspension is in place for their star quarterback.

The punishment seems inevitable at this point. Although there weren't any criminal charges against him, the memo Commissioner Goodell sent to teams last week is a clue of what's coming for the 6-foot-5, 240 pound signal caller. In the statement, Goodell said:

"The Policy makes clear that NFL and club personnel must do more than simply avoid criminal behavior. We must conduct ourselves in a way that 'is responsible, that promotes the values upon which the league is based, and is lawful."

Basically, what he is saying is that he doesn't care if you are found guilty of it or not, you're gonna be punished. Note to players: watch out for who you hang out with. People are going to be out to get you more than ever.

If nothing else, I think Goodell punishes Ben to show that he doesn't hand out special treatment to any certain player. Goodell has done a nice job at handling trouble-makers so far.

Big Ben gets a 2-4 game suspension to start the season. Put your money on it.